love, freedom,
Occasionally a little rebellious
The accumulation of consciousness is like the long river of time, full of stars, and finally becomes a galaxy.
I wonder if as I grow older, I start to envy people in their rebellious period at the age of 30. This "rebellion" is not equated with age, but rather a "state". You can be rebellious at the age of 20, you can be unruly at the age of 60, and you can still pursue freedom even until the last moment of your life. This is the collective consciousness I see among a certain generation of Japanese people.
I watched two shocking documentaries a while ago, namely "Rock Master: Hosono Haruomi" by Japanese contemporary music giant Haruomi Hosono, who keeps smoking and complaining about how he is still alive, and NHK's limited broadcast about Professor Sakamoto. The documentary "Last Days: Sakamoto Ryuichi's last day" is the last part of Ryuichi's life before he fell ill. Two musical urchins who are a master of Japanese electronic synthesis music. From the young 20-generation group YMO, to the 1970s, they absorbed avant-garde and fashionable psychedelic music, all the way to electro-funk, and then subverted the Japanese music scene. ” It only left traces on their bodies, but did not bind their souls.
After all, what could you drink to create such magical music?
I think that is the paranoia called "love and freedom".
This group of people, all born around 1950, grew the most rebellious bouquets in the worst of times. The political atmosphere stems from the love-hate relationship between Japan and the United States after World War II. On the one hand, it caused public resistance, and on the other hand, it allowed modernization and popular culture to enter our lives. Under the fluctuating positive and negative attacks, it aroused the enthusiasm of intellectuals and artists. High emotions; in a chaotic society, it became a petri dish for unrestrained voices. At this time, American culture was bouqueted from foreign countries to form the garden of Japan's "composite culture" (ぶんかふくごう), and the "Japanese American style" became A genre that changed Japan and even spread to the world.
Today in 2025, we are still influenced by Japan’s American style, which occurs in film and television, fashion, art, music and literature. This time, "Saury" has reduced the scale and traveled to the outskirts of Tokyo. Based on National Highway 16 that runs through "American Village", it visits "Fusei" and feels the timeless hippie and rebellion. Just like the dilemma that all cities face, the thin wall between development and cultural preservation will eventually peel away. With the dismantling and transformation of US military bases across Japan, we don’t know when these bases will end, but the fact that they once existed will eventually remain in the culture. In addition to the exploration of American culture, this issue also includes a map of Fukushima handicrafts. Tohoku, which continues to stand up bravely after the 311 earthquake, still strives to show confidence and bravery to the outside world; it also brings a tabloid tour of Tokyo leather crafts, you and me The lifestyle choices we choose are the best choices for the next generation.
I like what Okura Takashi, a serigraph designer interviewed in this issue, said: "Now is the best time." This reminds me of what Haruomi Hosono said in the documentary: "The key is freedom. As long as you touch When you are free, your heart will naturally become excited." It also echoes that at the end of his life, Ryuichi Sakamoto was still playing notes one after another with his fingertips. I think that is a reflection of loving music.
I hope you can find a reason to have love and freedom in this shining galaxy.
Occasionally a little rebellious
The accumulation of consciousness is like the long river of time, full of stars, and finally becomes a galaxy.
I wonder if as I grow older, I start to envy people in their rebellious period at the age of 30. This "rebellion" is not equated with age, but rather a "state". You can be rebellious at the age of 20, you can be unruly at the age of 60, and you can still pursue freedom even until the last moment of your life. This is the collective consciousness I see among a certain generation of Japanese people.
I watched two shocking documentaries a while ago, namely "Rock Master: Hosono Haruomi" by Japanese contemporary music giant Haruomi Hosono, who keeps smoking and complaining about how he is still alive, and NHK's limited broadcast about Professor Sakamoto. The documentary "Last Days: Sakamoto Ryuichi's last day" is the last part of Ryuichi's life before he fell ill. Two musical urchins who are a master of Japanese electronic synthesis music. From the young 20-generation group YMO, to the 1970s, they absorbed avant-garde and fashionable psychedelic music, all the way to electro-funk, and then subverted the Japanese music scene. ” It only left traces on their bodies, but did not bind their souls.
After all, what could you drink to create such magical music?
I think that is the paranoia called "love and freedom".
This group of people, all born around 1950, grew the most rebellious bouquets in the worst of times. The political atmosphere stems from the love-hate relationship between Japan and the United States after World War II. On the one hand, it caused public resistance, and on the other hand, it allowed modernization and popular culture to enter our lives. Under the fluctuating positive and negative attacks, it aroused the enthusiasm of intellectuals and artists. High emotions; in a chaotic society, it became a petri dish for unrestrained voices. At this time, American culture was bouqueted from foreign countries to form the garden of Japan's "composite culture" (ぶんかふくごう), and the "Japanese American style" became A genre that changed Japan and even spread to the world.
Today in 2025, we are still influenced by Japan’s American style, which occurs in film and television, fashion, art, music and literature. This time, "Saury" has reduced the scale and traveled to the outskirts of Tokyo. Based on National Highway 16 that runs through "American Village", it visits "Fusei" and feels the timeless hippie and rebellion. Just like the dilemma that all cities face, the thin wall between development and cultural preservation will eventually peel away. With the dismantling and transformation of US military bases across Japan, we don’t know when these bases will end, but the fact that they once existed will eventually remain in the culture. In addition to the exploration of American culture, this issue also includes a map of Fukushima handicrafts. Tohoku, which continues to stand up bravely after the 311 earthquake, still strives to show confidence and bravery to the outside world; it also brings a tabloid tour of Tokyo leather crafts, you and me The lifestyle choices we choose are the best choices for the next generation.
I like what Okura Takashi, a serigraph designer interviewed in this issue, said: "Now is the best time." This reminds me of what Haruomi Hosono said in the documentary: "The key is freedom. As long as you touch When you are free, your heart will naturally become excited." It also echoes that at the end of his life, Ryuichi Sakamoto was still playing notes one after another with his fingertips. I think that is a reflection of loving music.
I hope you can find a reason to have love and freedom in this shining galaxy.